Alvarez-Diaz Villalon's new headquarters is located in the heart of San Juan in the historic district of Santurce. The building was formerly a girl’s school founded by the sister of corn flake magnate W.K. Kellogg, built in 1904. Though the company’s new office integrates many energy and water conserving features and avoids the use of toxic or unsustainable materials, it possesses the same slick, modern feel that has made Alvarez-Diaz Villalon a superstar in the design world - read on for a look inside!

The décor in Alvarez-Diaz Villalon‘s new headquarters is perfectly coordinated with minimalist paintings on the wall, designer furniture, and a cool slate grey color scheme. Though verdant green color highlights are found speckled throughout the interior for contrast, most of the ‘green’ building features are seamlessly integrated behind the walls and in the ceiling.

Rather than building where land is cheap in a farmer’s field outside the city, ADV chose to locate in the heart of San Juan in the historic district of Santurce. The design team re-imagined every feature of the structure to preserve its century-old charm (and the resources already embodied in the structure), while transforming it into a highly functional work space.

The original building did not include a plethora of natural light, which was rectified with the use of Solatubes – cylindrical skylights that amplify sunlight from the roof into the interior rooms of a building. Every light fixture is tied to an advanced Lutron monitoring system that modulates lighting based on ambient light levels and remembers to turn lights off when employees leave a room so they don’t have to.

The firm has adopted a zero-CFC policy for the office and sourced furniture from designers that use a cradle-to-cradle approach to their craft. Sink and toilet fixtures are all low-flow and the building utilizes a state-of-the-art cooling system to take the punch out of Puerto Rico’s sweltering climate with minimal energy use. In the end, ADV hopes that putting their sustainability ideals into practice with their own headquarters will inspire and educate potential clients that come to visit to do the same.